Critical Essay: Wicked problems in the Age of Uncertainty

We are, apparently, living in unprecedented times, an Age of Uncertainty, when wicked problems whirl all around as we struggle to cope with Covid-19, environmental catastrophe and the right-wing populism that threatens to unravel all kinds of international agreements. In this personal reflection, 15 years after I wrote an article on wicked problems and the social construction of leadership, I take a look back, and forward, to see whether there ever was an Age of Certainty when only tame problems temporarily troubled us, or whether our understanding of the world is itself a social construction, open to dispute and thus we have always lived in uncertain times. In the process of this evaluation, I consider whether collaborative leadership, often associated with wicked problems, is as ubiquitous and effective as some proponents make out, and if it isn’t, what this says about our ability to address such problems.

The perception of stakeholders regarding the outcomes achieved by schools with high or low levels of effectiveness and high numbers of immigrant students

The aim of this study was to characterize those schools in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain) with high numbers of immigrant students in accordance with their effectiveness level (high or low). Three effectiveness criteria (scores, residuals, and times) were used to select the schools, resulting in three models: a ceiling or floor effect model, a contextualized cross-sectional model, and a contextualized longitudinal model. Of the 524 initial schools analyzed, 7 were found to have high or low effectiveness levels and higher-than-average immigration levels. Following the selection, the discourses of 40 education stakeholders were analyzed through semi-structured interviews and discussion groups. The results highlight the strong sense of vulnerability felt in some schools, as well as the general conviction that greater support, commitment, and stable, collaborative leadership by the management team and inspectorate would contribute to improving effectiveness.

Examination and Redesign of Inclusive Special Education Service Delivery in a Rural School

In this article, we describe the self-directed change made by a rural elementary school in response to a data-based examination of its service-delivery model that revealed its lowest performing students were spending most of their time with the school’s least qualified staff. This mixed-method case study describes (a) why and how the school shifted personnel deployment and utilization, (b) factors that facilitated the shifts in service delivery, and (c) perceived effects of the changes. Findings demonstrate how implementing data-based decision-making through strong collaborative leadership led to recognizing, exploring, and modifying the school’s overreliance on paraprofessionals by increasing the availability of more highly skilled personnel to facilitate more inclusive instruction and collaboration. Participants also described challenges and perceived negative aspects related to change. We conclude with implications for practice, including how this study could inform similar change efforts in small rural schools, and suggestions for future research.

Developing collaborative leadership practices in the Singapore early childhood education (ECE) context through professional learning communities (PLCs)

<p>Leadership in early childhood education (ECE) has been promoted as a collaborative process in which all teachers, rather than just the positional leader, are involved (Thornton, 2010). Collaborative leadership practices are not well understood within the Singapore ECE context. Beyond mandatory leadership training, little is known how leaders are supported to strengthen their leadership practices and involve others in leadership activities. School-based literature suggests that learning through professional learning communities (PLCs) expands the collective capacity of organisations, however, literature on PLCs in ECE is limited. Located within an interpretive paradigm, this study employed a primarily qualitative approach with a supplementary quantitative strand. This mixed method design, encapsulated within a single embedded exploratory case study, embedded both face-to-face and online PLC processes over a period of 8 months. Qualitative data included both face-to-face and online activities whereas for the quantitative data the study used an adapted version of the PLCA-R survey designed by Olivier, Hipp and Huffman (2010). Participants in two PLCs established as part of this study were six principals from an anchor group childcare provider and five principals from private childcare centres in Singapore. Two teachers working with each of the respective principals were also involved in focus group interviews to ascertain if there were changes in their principals’ leadership practices. Data were collected from PLC meetings, online reflections, pre- and post-PLC interviews with the principals and follow-up focus group discussions with the teachers. Key findings suggest that praxis as a result of participation in their PLC led to some shifts in principals’ thinking about collaborative leadership practices and resulted in changes to their leadership approaches, sharing of practices, distribution of leadership and improved collegiality and collaborative learning for teachers. Principals who participated in the study also indicated that the collaborative learning culture fostered through their PLC reduced their professional isolation and helped them to integrate ideas into practice. The study contributes to an understanding that considering and implementing collaborative leadership practices through PLCs, a collaborative learning model contextualised in Anglo-American settings, in the Singapore ECE context requires sensitivity towards Asian Singapore socio-cultural values related to hierarchy and economic pragmatism.</p>

Developing collaborative leadership practices in the Singapore early childhood education (ECE) context through professional learning communities (PLCs)

<p>Leadership in early childhood education (ECE) has been promoted as a collaborative process in which all teachers, rather than just the positional leader, are involved (Thornton, 2010). Collaborative leadership practices are not well understood within the Singapore ECE context. Beyond mandatory leadership training, little is known how leaders are supported to strengthen their leadership practices and involve others in leadership activities. School-based literature suggests that learning through professional learning communities (PLCs) expands the collective capacity of organisations, however, literature on PLCs in ECE is limited. Located within an interpretive paradigm, this study employed a primarily qualitative approach with a supplementary quantitative strand. This mixed method design, encapsulated within a single embedded exploratory case study, embedded both face-to-face and online PLC processes over a period of 8 months. Qualitative data included both face-to-face and online activities whereas for the quantitative data the study used an adapted version of the PLCA-R survey designed by Olivier, Hipp and Huffman (2010). Participants in two PLCs established as part of this study were six principals from an anchor group childcare provider and five principals from private childcare centres in Singapore. Two teachers working with each of the respective principals were also involved in focus group interviews to ascertain if there were changes in their principals’ leadership practices. Data were collected from PLC meetings, online reflections, pre- and post-PLC interviews with the principals and follow-up focus group discussions with the teachers. Key findings suggest that praxis as a result of participation in their PLC led to some shifts in principals’ thinking about collaborative leadership practices and resulted in changes to their leadership approaches, sharing of practices, distribution of leadership and improved collegiality and collaborative learning for teachers. Principals who participated in the study also indicated that the collaborative learning culture fostered through their PLC reduced their professional isolation and helped them to integrate ideas into practice. The study contributes to an understanding that considering and implementing collaborative leadership practices through PLCs, a collaborative learning model contextualised in Anglo-American settings, in the Singapore ECE context requires sensitivity towards Asian Singapore socio-cultural values related to hierarchy and economic pragmatism.</p>

Leading Locally: How New Zealand's mayors get things done

New Zealand’s directly elected mayors are considered an example of a weak mayoral model, with mayors having limited legal powers to make decisions or appointments. However, many mayors continue to shape policy direction alongside their councillor colleagues. This article examines how a collaborative leadership approach allows mayors to successfully lead locally even without strong executive powers. Future reforms of local government should consider how to build on this leadership framework.